


A special day out

by pandabob



Series: enough love [2]
Category: Lewis (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-04-01 14:01:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4022536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandabob/pseuds/pandabob
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was never going to be easy for James to settle in to the Lewis family but step by step things seem to be moving in the right direction.</p><p>A special day out for the children brings the family a step closer together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Robbie smiled across at Val and silently cursed his inability to be standing in two places at once. 

The five of them walking down the bark covered path between the trees would have made a beautiful family picture if there’d been any way to take it. 

Robbie was hand in hand with Mark while Lyn was holding her mother’s hand and James was in the middle of Lyn and Mark as they swung their arms, marched in step and sang ‘one two three four five, once I caught a fish alive.’ All three of the children had wide smiles on their faces and Val was smiling back at Robbie in a way that told him just how special this all felt to her as well. 

Robbie was no longer shocked to see James smile even though it didn’t happen often; he did remember the exact moment that he first saw the light truly beam from James’ face though. 

They’d been shopping for new clothes and James had pulled on a pair of age 2/3 shorts, he always wore shorts because trousers that fit his middle rarely reached below his knees anyway. Val had tried to fasten the zip and buttons at the waist but after a few seconds struggle she’d glanced between James’ face and Robbie’s and with a smile announced that he’d need a bigger size. A huge grin had spread over James face as he’d lit up with pride and happiness and Robbie had felt his heart swell as he picked James up for a celebratory hug wrapping his other arm around Val and giving no thought to the strangers in the shop who looked on in complete confusion. 

The five months that had passed since Robbie had brought that little bundle of skin and bones home from work with him had not been easy. 

James’s dad had pleaded guilty and been imprisoned for the murder that had led to Robbie meeting James. James’ mum had made contact a couple of times but it was clear that she had very little intention of ever coming back for him while Social services had been making regular calls to check that James was gaining weight and seemed settled. 

Mark and Lyn had adapted well to having James around and but for a few moments when Mark had been upset about his dad spending too much time with James and not enough with him they had all grown closer by the day. Robbie had had to admit that he was spending a disproportionate amount of time James and was probably guilty of neglecting Mark and Lyn and in part that thought had led them to being here on a Wednesday morning, when they should all have been at work or school or nursery, hand in hand singing about fish as they walked down the path towards the aquarium.

On reaching the front door Robbie let go of Mark’s hand and Val let go of Lyn’s and the children ran off to look at the bright blue and orange fish swimming around in huge tank on the wall opposite the entrance. Robbie’s now empty hand didn’t have long to cool before he felt Val’s fingers slip between his and she squeezed his hand. 

“It’ll be worth Lyn’s day off school if they all smile like that all day won’t it?”

Robbie smiled and turned his head to steal a quick kiss before any of the children noticed but he wasn’t quick enough and a squeal of “Yuck!” rang out as Lyn turned to point something out to her mum.

The room was warm and the walls were lined with tanks of tropical fish, Robbie hadn’t really expected tropical fish and it made him laugh to see Mark grinning and almost shouting “Nemo fish, Nemo fish” at a large tank of Orange and white stripped clownfish. James was watching Mark with a confused look on his face that made Robbie suspect he had never seen the required film to understand the reference.

“We’ll borrow the film next weekend” Val whispered in Robbie’s ear and he smiled at her ability to read his mind before kissing her gently on the cheek.

“We were right to keep the kids off and bring them when it was safer weren’t we love?” Robbie knew they were but the smile he received from Val was still reassuring.

Plastic seaweed hung across the doorway to the next room and as Robbie pushed it aside to allow the children through he suddenly appreciated the need for it. The next room was dark and cold and was much more like Robbie had expected of an aquarium on a cold winter day. 

Cod and Pollack swam in the big tanks and crabs, starfish and lobsters moved slowly about their business in the smaller ones. Lyn was leading the boys around the room from one tank to the next but now and again a shout of ‘mummy’ or ‘daddy’ went up and Robbie and Val were beckoned over to look at a fish that Mark thought was doing something funny or to help Lyn identify which fish was which.

They’d been in the cold room about ten minutes and Val was leaning on a wall watching a plaice try and climb up the side of the tank and talking to Robbie when she heard the slide of the plastic seaweed and turned around ready to shout at whichever child had dared to try and go back to the warmth of the tropical fish. She didn’t shout, because the children were still engrossed in the activities in the lobster tank, but her chest tightened and her mouth became dry as another family arrived in the room. 

There were two children with what looked like their parents and they were chatting away to each other and minding their own business. Other families didn’t used to be a concern to Val, she had always enjoyed mixing with other parents and children and it was something she hoped to do in the future but right now her heart raced as she panicking about James. This was the first time they’d taken James anywhere since the absolutely disastrous visit to the fair. They’d decided to make this visit on a school day in an attempt to see as few people as possible and both Robbie and Val had tried to kid themselves that this wouldn’t be an issue.

The urge to run across the room and scoop James into her arms before anything could happen was almost too much for Val to resist and Robbie’s tightening grip on her hand assured her that she wasn’t the only one feeling that way. 

It took all their self-control, and the support of each other, but Robbie and Val stood and watched as James continued to chat away to Mark and Lyn while the other couple and their children made quick work of looking in the tanks before their youngest pulled them all through the next door in search of seals and otters.

Robbie walked across to the children and crouched down next to them, “Don’t they look tasty?”  
“Daaaad! Don’t you know I don’t like fish?”

Lyn moaned and Robbie ruffled her hair and laughed, “Shall we see if the seals are ready for their dinner kids?”

“Yeah, Yeah, which way is it?” Mark grabbed Robbie’s hand and pulled on it excitedly, “Come on dad.”

James looked less sure at the suggestion but Lyn grabbed his hand and they followed Robbie and Mark along the corridor and out through the door into the sunshine.

 

 

The seal pool was a large oval shape with islands in the water for the keepers to stand on while they trained and fed the seals and told the visitors all about them. There were benches around the edge of the pool for visitors and Robbie and Val found seats towards the back, away from any possible splashing. Mark stood as close to the pool as possible, pressing his nose to the glass and waving at the seals as they swam by. Lyn sat on the very front bench, calling to her mum and dad to move forward to sit with her as they laughed and shook their heads while James stood watching them all as if he was in some alien world and had no idea what to do.

Over the last few months it had become clear that James knew, theoretically, about lots of things but that every day was full of entirely new experiences for him or events that triggered terrifying memories for him. This had been made painfully clear to Val and Robbie when they’d taken the children to a fair at the local park and James had disappeared in the crowd only to be found over an hour later curled up in a ball in a corner of the bouncy castle tunnel with his hands over his ears. 

That day it had taken half an hour to get James off the bouncy castle and then they’d had to go straight home which had led to tantrums from Mark and Lyn and a whole afternoon of arguments about why Robbie was sat on the sofa cuddling James when he had ‘been naughty by running off and ruined Mark and Lyn’s special day out.’ 

It had been impossible to explain to Mark and Lyn what had actually happened, partly because neither Robbie nor Val understood it and partly because James hadn’t said a word since they’d picked him up off the bouncy castle so the day descended closer and closer toward complete disaster.

That evening Val had done something she very rarely did and she offered each member of the family their own choice of tea. Mark had chosen a beef burger with mash potato, carrots and peas, Lyn had had pasta in a vegetable and cheese sauce and Robbie and Val had shared a lasagne with salad and garlic bread. James, however, had cried when asked what he wanted and had run away behind the sofa, curling up in a ball and chewing on his thumb. 

Val had served up the dinners requested of her and then she’d put a small amount or everything she’d made on a plate for James and set it at the table with the others before calling everyone to the table but James didn’t make an appearance until the food was cold and everyone else had finished. Robbie and Val had stayed sat with him although they’d given Mark and Lyn permission to leave rather than risk anymore hostility between children. James had eaten without looking up from his plate but he’d spoken between mouthfuls telling a garbled story of a trip with his parents to a park. He’d talked about there being children and adults everywhere and about him not being able to find his mum and dad in the crowd. 

James had told them that he was really sorry for getting lost and as Robbie had raised his hand to ruffle James’ hair and tell him not to worry, it wasn’t his fault Robbie had let go of his hand, James had flinched away and brought his hand up to cover his head. 

Val had started crying as Robbie tried to reassure James that he would never hurt him and tried to encourage the rest of the story of what had happened out of James’ mind. James had continued to talk and he’d told of being cold and wet and of hiding in a tunnel waiting for his mum to come back and then about being ‘hit’ by his dad and sent to bed without his tea. 

This day had been the first time that James had spoken of quite how his father said ‘sorry’ to him and how he ‘made him feel better’ after he’d been punished for something and it had been the day that Robbie and Val had decided that no one, especially his mother, would ever remove James from their family. That day had also been the day that they’d decided that their next day out would be on a cold Wednesday morning when everyone else in the country was busy with work, school and nursery.

 

“The lady’s coming Jimmy, she’s going to show us the seals jumping and splashing in the pool. Mark wants to see the seals underwater and get very wet, Lyn seems to want to chance her luck with the splashes and me and Val are going to sit back here and stay dry while listening to the lady. What do you fancy doing because you can’t really stay standing there?”

James looked around for a moment and then ran across and sat down next to Lyn just as a small group that looked like a nursery day out, all dressed in matching red bibs and hats, came through the door and joined them in the viewing area.

 

 

“I’m hungry, and wet!” Mark had enjoyed watching the seals jump around and he’d laughed as he got splashed every time the large adult male jumped to take food from the keepers hand but as soon as the show was finished the joy of being wet evaporated very quickly.

“You shouldn’t have got so close if you don’t like it, I want to see the turtles before lunch,” Lyn folded her arms across her chest and scowled at Mark

“It’s been ages since breakfast and mummy said we could have lunch here and it’ll be warm in there and you and Jimmy were close too weren’t you Jimmy, aren’t you wet? Even a little bit?”

James looked down at his trousers and tried to look at his back and then he glanced back and forward between Lyn, who was still scowling and Mark who was smiling at him in the conspiratorial way that Robbie had seen developing over the last few weeks. There was silence for a few seconds before James grinned at Mark, “I’m not wet at all but I am hungry.”

Val and Robbie knew right there and then that they were going to have problems with James and Mark ganging up on Lyn as they grew older and they also knew that the new member of their family was cleverer than even they had given him credit for. It was, given his history and still very fragile frame, impossible for either of them to ignore the very first time James had ever said he was hungry and however sure they were that it was pure and simple manipulation the overwhelming urge to feed him was too much to resist.

“Lunch then Turtles I think, don’t you Val? There’s a turtle talk at two so someone will tell us all about them if we go then Lyn, and everyone will have a full tummy so they won’t be able to complain about us staying there for ages.” Robbie smiled at Lyn who continued to scowl at him although she did walk away towards the café, quickly followed by the boys.

The café was warm and colourful and there was a soft play area at one end, with slides and climbing frames, and large wooden tables at the other end with beautiful table clothes on and vases of flowers stood in the middle. 

Lyn ran off to climb on the climbing frame as soon as she saw it and Mark quickly followed but James accompanied Robbie to a table in the corner of the room, with a view of the seal pool out of the window and sat down across from him waiting for Val to order the soup and sandwiches for lunch.

“What do you think Jimmy? Are you enjoying our day out?”

“Yes Sir I am, thank you for bringing me.”

“Thank you for coming with us love, it wouldn’t be as much fun without you would it?”

James blushed just slightly and looked down at the table just as the waitress arrived with the cutlery, “Are you keeping daddy company while your brother and sister work up a hunger?”

It was a simple question, one of those things waitresses in restaurants say when they are making polite conversation with their clientele but it felt like an almighty kick in the stomach to Robbie and he opened his mouth ready to say something, he knew not what, but he shut it again as James replied, 

“I have to eat before I play, if I lose weight daddy might have to give me back.”

The waitress looked slightly taken a back but she tried to smile, “Well we can’t have that can we, I’ll have to find the biggest piece of cake for when daddy buys your pudding won’t I?”

“Mummy’s buying soup, I’m not sure we’re having pudding.”

Robbie reached across the table to ruffle James’ hair and tried to hide the tears that were running down his cheeks from the waitress and from James. “I’m going to tell mummy to order your cake right now.”

Robbie stood up and walked away from the table with the waitress until they were out of James’ hearing and then she spoke. “I’m sorry if I spoke out of turn, I didn’t mean to pry, I was just trying to be friendly.”

“Please don’t apologise, really please don’t.” Robbie wiped his hand across his eyes, clearing the stray tears from his eyes. “He’s not been with us long and two minutes before you asked him that question he’d just called me sir like he normally does, he’s never called me daddy before or called Val Mummy, he’s had a hard start in life but he’s doing really well and we’re lucky to have him so yeah please don’t apologise.”

The waitress blushed, “Well then, I won’t but I will go and find some very big pieces of cake for all five of you.”

 

 

Robbie called everyone to the table as he saw Val appear with a tray of food and Lyn sat down next to James with Mark next to her and the adults on the other side of the table.

“It’s vegetable soup for everyone and then I have three ham sandwiches and two cheese ones, who wants what?”

“Cheese please Mum,”

“Can I have Ham?

Both answers were shouted with the usual enthusiasm from Lyn and Mark but this time they were followed by a much less confident reply that was little more than a whisper

“Could I have ham please Mummy?”

Robbie could see the exact moment that the word registered in Val’s brain and he knew that he must have looked just the same a few minutes ago. Val retained her composure far better than he had though and without missing a beat she replied “Of course you can son.”

Mark elbowed Lyn in the side and leant towards her ear to ‘whisper’ something to her. “Did you hear him? Jimmy called mummy mummy not miss.”

James lifted his hand to his mouth and started chewing on his thumb looking like he was about to cry and Robbie wanted to reach across the table and cuddle him while simultaneously wanting to rewind the last ten seconds and stop Mark before he spoke but neither was necessary as Lyn put one arm around Mark’s neck and then reached her other arm around James and pulled them both into a hug. 

“It makes mum smile to be called mummy doesn’t it Jimmy?”


	2. Chapter 2

Turtles had always been Lyn’s favourite things to see at the aquarium, and to cuddle in bed, so Robbie was delighted to find that the five of them were the only people present for the turtle talk. 

A young man arrived with a small bowl in his hand and a ‘why am I bothering’ look on his face but he soon found his enthusiasm for his talk when he saw the eager little face waiting to watch him feed the turtles. The young man, called Gareth according to his name badge, told them all about the different species of turtle they had and also about the dangers of pet turtles, and the risk to the species caused by the human race.

Gareth had dropped food into the snapping turtle tank while he explained just how dangerous the teeth were and he’d dangled a small piece of food just out of reach on the long neck turtle as it reached its neck up, showing its full length, and grabbed it from his fingers but the real highlight, and the thing Robbie knew Lyn would tell everyone about at school tomorrow, was when Gareth asked her if she wanted to feed the baby turtles.

There were about thirty little turtle and five slightly bigger ones, which Robbie assumed were the parents, in a tank that had a small pool, rocks, reeds and a small waterfall that the turtles seemed to enjoy sliding down. James had been watching them move around all through Gareth’s talk, lost in a distant quiet that had Val stuck between concern that he might be ‘thinking’ and hope that he was simply relaxed, but he moved out of Lyn’s way so that she could help with the feeding.

Robbie grinned and Val stepped closer to him, slipping her arm around his waist and leaning her head on his shoulder, as they watched Lyn drop small amounts of the food into the water and then smile and giggle with glee as the turtles dived in the water to retrieve it. Two small turtles caught either side of one small piece and began a tug of war with each other. “They look like you and Mark when you’re trying to share Lyn.” Val laughed as did the others but Lyn just stood watching the turtles until all the food was gone and Gareth had to get back to his other work.

 

 

“Worth waiting until after lunch?” Robbie spoke as Lyn finally moved away from the turtle tank and got hold of his hand. “Yep! Can I have a turtle for a pet?”

Robbie and Val exchanged looks of panic, three kids was more than enough for them to handle, especially given Val had to do most of the work while Robbie ran around after Morse, so pets were not high on the agenda, especially pets that needed actual care.

“You can have another cuddly one but nothing that needs me to remember to feed it I’m afraid.” Lyn had known the answer before she’d asked the question so she tried not to be disappointed. “Can we go to the gift shop then, before we go home?”

“James wants to see the sharks I think and Mark wanted to see the seahorses but after that we’ll go and see if we can get you all something shall we?” Lyn and Mark nodded and smiled at the suggestion but James didn’t even look away from the noticeboard he was reading and for far from the first time Robbie’s heart sank at the thought of going in a gift shop and spending a fortune on Mark and Lyn while James stood in a corner giving everyone in the shop the very clear impression that he was the Cinderella of the family. Robbie’s only hope, after what happened at lunch, was that he might not complete the impression with a ‘yes sir’ this time when he told him it was time to go back to the car.

 

 

 

“Why don’t the sharks bite the other sharks?” James had been stood watching the tank full of different size and species of shark for a while and looking more and more confused so Robbie was glad to finally hear the question.

“I’m not sure to be honest, I guess it’s a bit like people not hurting people,” Robbie crouched down next to James so he could look at the sharks from James’ perspective. “We’re sort of built to protect our own aren’t we?” 

The ‘oh fuck’ that jumped into Robbie’s brain at the stupidity of what he’d just said, and the downright nastiness of it if James took it the wrong way, only just stayed behind his teeth but it drifted away quickly when James moved closer and hugged him “Like you and Mummy look after me?”

“Yeah like that I guess.”

“So,” James let go of Robbie and turned back to the tank putting his nose up against the glass “There might be some that do bite but most of them don’t?”

“Exactly,” Robbie took a slight pause to be sure he said the next bit exactly as he meant to. “There are some of every species that ignore the rules but, if you look close enough, you’ll find others who step in and try and make things better after.”

After another few minutes of watching the sharks, and of James obviously thinking hard, he turned his head to almost look at Robbie, “Could I… er can I…?” James stuttered and then looked away and stopped talking. Robbie waited a few seconds to see if he started again but when he didn’t he put his arm gently around his shoulder and leaned in closer. “Take a deep breath love and try again, you know you can ask me anything.”

When James finally spoke it was little more than a whisper and he leaned right in against Robbie’s ear as if it was the biggest secret in the world before he asked. “Can I have a pet shark?”

Robbie reached his arm around James and lifted him up of the floor as he stood up, sitting him on his hip and cuddling him tighter than maybe was sensible as he whispered back. “No but you can have a big cuddly one from the shop.” James smiled the shiest of smiles, looking very pleased that Robbie had once again understood what he meant and then he hid his face away under Robbie’s chin.

 

 

“Shop then seahorses before we go kids, come on.” It was half a march and half a run when Robbie started moving but Val and the kids quickly realised that it wasn’t a question it was very much an instruction and they chased after Robbie as he carried James towards the gift shop.

 

The shop was small and, to Robbie’s mind at that moment, cluttered with useless gift ideas which were stopping him seeing what he wanted. There were racks of tea towels with different sea creatures on, there were shelves of cups and stationary with the aquarium logo on, at least two sets of shelves full of sweets and two bookshelves all of which he had to try and look through to try and lay his eyes on a cuddly shark which he was failing to do as Val, and Mark and Lyn, finally caught up with them.

Carefully setting James down on his feet Robbie flashed a wide grin at the kids, “Go choose something, anything you want ok?” Val opened her mouth to interrupt, probably to set a sensible spending limit given some of the giant, and expensive, cuddly toys that sat on top on some of the shelving units but when Robbie met her eye she changed her mind and stepped back out of the way as Mark and Lyn ran off enthusiastically and James stood for a moment chewing on his thumb nail looking around warily.

Grabbing Val’s hand and giving it a squeeze Robbie slowly moved away from James, keeping him in sight but giving him space, and went to help Lyn chose exactly what colour turtle she wanted to have instead of her pet and to help Mark put together the perfect pirate costume from all the clothes, hats, patches, cutlasses and parrots on the rack. 

“Should I choose some for Jimmy?” Mark looked up at his parents smiling. 

“No sweetie, just pick what you want today.” On trips up to now, where James refused to engage with shopping Mark had always insisted they bought something for him even if he had to choose it but Robbie was confident that wouldn’t be necessary, at least he was confident until the smile on Mark’s face fell away. 

“How about,” Val interjected trying to cheer Mark up, “we choose three Pirate outfits, one for each of you and then you chose a cuddly toy as well? You can’t play pirates properly on your own can you.” Val winked, Mark grinned at her excitedly and Robbie felt himself breathe again after not realising he’d stopped in panic.

“Lyn, Jimmy, are we ready to pay?” Robbie was laden with bits of pirate costume, as was Val, Mark was cuddling a bright blue seahorse with yellow markings and, because it would be wrong not too apparently, they had two aquarium tea towels, one for each set of grandparents, as they headed for the counter to pay.

Lyn quickly joined them with a tiny purple turtle that, as she told them excitedly, was small enough to fit in her coat pocket so she could take it ‘everywhere,’ but James was slower to appear. Val put the contents of her arm down on the counter and, after asking Mark and Lyn to stay where they were, went to find James. Robbie could hear whispering for a few moments before he picked out the words ‘he said anything you want, so if that’s what you want it’ll be ok’ and he wondered what James was going to emerge with. 

 

 

It wasn’t quite as tall as James, he was a tall kid for his age after all but it was pretty much as tall as Mark and certainly it had more meat on its bones that James did but the little smile on James’ face, nervous though it was, when he walked up to Robbie and handed him the largest cuddly shark Robbie had ever seen meant that there was no question that whatever the price this shark was coming home with them, Robbie’s only worry was that the person behind the till might make some comment about the price which might derail this big moment for James.

“What an awesome choice Jimmy.” Robbie said it loudly and smiled widely at James hoping to head off any comments from the lady behind the counter. “Can you put it up there?” Motioning towards the counter Robbie picked James up so he could reach and then set him back on his feet while he paid.

The bill was well over anything Robbie or Val would normally allow in such a place but neither of them cared, it was worth all the money they owned to make the breakthroughs they had with James over the course of this one simple visit. “We’ll carry the carrier bags of pirate treasures; can you three manage your cuddlies?”

Lyn grabbed her turtle and put is safely in her pocket, James pulled his shark off the edge of the counter, staggering backwards as the weight of it fell on him, and wrapped his arms around its middle holding it tight to his chest, and Mark tucked his seahorse under his arm before checking that they were going back to see the real live ones in the aquarium before they went home as promised.

 

 

Val laughed; she couldn’t help it, as she watched James staggering across the grass between the gift shop and the seahorse house. “He’s a funny one isn’t he?” Robbie stepped closer and took hold of her none pirate costume carrying hand. “Funny as the rest of us! Perfect fit isn’t it?” Val smiled, kissed him gently on the cheek and said nothing as they followed their children towards the seahorses.


	3. Chapter 3

The children slept all the way home, cuddled up with their new toys in the back of the car. Robbie drove while Val sat in the passenger seat looking out of the window, watching the world go by. They didn’t speak the whole way back, both happily lost in their thoughts and they were home far more quickly than either of them expected.

“What are we doing for dinner?” Robbie looked across at Val as he turned off the engine outside their house. “I feel like we need something special to end the day.” 

Val considered for a second before she tried to reply, “I … er... I think … um.”

“You ok, love?” Robbie turned in his seat slightly, worried at what was wrong.

Val twisted a little to face him, glancing over her shoulder to check that little eyes were still shut, and reached for his hand. “I don’t really know how to say what I want to say or even if I should but it’s worrying me a bit.”

Hearing movement in the back seat Robbie silently suggested they get out of the car to continue the conversation, so as to not be overheard. Robbie sat down on the bonnet and Val stood next to him as she tried to explain what was wrong.

“Jimmy is a smart kid Robbie, smarter than I think we know, and I’m worried that we’re doing something by accident that he might think is on purpose.”

Robbie was confused, he’d only suggested something special for dinner because they’d had a lovely day but when he gave it a seconds thought his brain caught up with where Val already was. “You mean the cake at dinner right? And the ice cream after the fair?” Val nodded as Robbie talked. “The cakes after the shopping trip? The sweets after his first full day at nursery?” 

Robbie’s shoulders sagged and the happy smiles of the day drained away. “You think that he might think the food is a reward for being good right?”

“I worry he might not I think he might, it’s a different thing but it is a worry.”

For about the four hundred and fifty seventh time since he’d brought the little bundle of bones that was James Hathaway home with him Robbie wondered why the lad had become so attached to him so quickly when he was the most stupid man in the world who had absolutely no knowledge at all about how to help a kid who’d been through what he had. “Whatever we do we’re screwing this up aren’t we?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Val didn’t often get cross with Robbie but sometimes she just couldn’t help it and this was one of those occasions. “Look at him,” Val gestured towards the windscreen and the image of James fast asleep, cuddling his giant shark, and leaning on Lyn’s shoulder. “He’s safe, he’s comfortable, he’s mostly happy, his clothes are nearly in the right age range, he has no bruises or broken bones, and he sleeps, almost peacefully, anywhere and everywhere as long as you tell him it’s safe. We haven’t ‘screwed up’, as you put it, but today he’s said he’s hungry for the first time, he’s asked for and chosen a toy for the first time and he’s uttered words in our direction that up to now have meant all kinds of horrible things to him so I’m worried that, on this occasion, we might get things wrong if we lay on a dinner of treats.”

Robbie sat, glancing between Val and James for a moment and then stood up and wrapped her in his arms. “I see what you mean, sorry for being an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot; you just love him and want to treat him like you do Mark and Lyn which is a lovely thing.” Val leant back in Robbie’s arms slightly so she could look into his face. “But, we have to remember he had a life before us. We don’t know everything and probably never will but we do know that food, what he got, when and what he had to do in return for it has caused a number of his issues. I just what to be sure we don’t accidentally reinforce something that means a different thing to him, because of his past, than it does to the rest of the world.”

Robbie’s eyes twitched just slightly at the idea that James was different from the rest of the world and he knew Val hadn’t missed it when she leaned up and kissed him gently on the cheek. “I think we should have sausage and mash, with some vegetables followed by fruit and yogurt, all of which he likes but we have often, and then we should have normal relaxed evening ready for school tomorrow.”

Robbie kissed her back, nodding and smiling at her suggestion. “Next time we’re having an awful day, they’re arguing and fighting and everything feels wrong we’re going out for dinner ok?”

Val laughed, liking the idea more than she probably would when the day actually came, “Sounds like a plan. Come on, I think Mark’s waking up.” 

Robbie kissed Val again quickly and then let her go so he could find the keys to unlock the front door while Val opened the car door and gently woke the children.

 

 

James’ toy box had sat empty since the day they bought it, the toys Mark had chosen for him along the way had gone in the shared toy cupboard, ready for anyone to play with, but as James had never chosen anything before the lid of his toy box remained unopened until now. 

James almost ran from the car, awake and going in two seconds flat as always, kicked his shoes off at the front door, putting them on the rack and then heading straight for the living room. 

By the time Robbie and Val had locked the car, taken off their shoes, rearranged the pile of little shoes so that they all fit, shut the front door and followed the children to the living room James was stood by his toy box dropping the lid closed.

“Where’s your shark gone Mr?”

James grinned, a real full faced grin “In my toy box, where my toys go.”

“Well, what a tidy young man you are, is he going to live there now?

James looked at Robbie for a minute, as if he was thinking hard about the question, before he spoke. “During the day but not at bedtime.”

“That sounds like a good plan pet,” Robbie winked at James and then waved the bags he had in his hands in the air, “who’s up for playing pirates while mummy and I make tea?”

Mark reached for the bags excitedly and Val and Robbie left the three of them to it and went to make dinner.

 

‘rough play’ wasn’t something Robbie and Val had ever allowed much of but, for obvious reasons, it had been even less so since James’ arrival however today they were both happy to listen as their three little monkeys charged around the house, waving swords and shouting pirate calls at each other. 

At one point Lyn was captured by the boys, and ‘made to walk the plank’ which, according to Mark, meant walking along the sofa and jumping off the chair arm something that really wasn’t allowed and that nearly ended the game as James panicked about being told off, but Val spotted what was happening just in time and made them a new ‘plank’ by lifting the cushions off the sofa onto the floor for them to walk on more safely.

The game continued with the addition of a giant shark in the water and a full storyline of adventure right through until dinner and as soon as they’d finished eating, still dressed as Captain Jimmy, Long John Mark and Lady Lyn, the three of them ran off again still lost in their own little imaginary world leaving the parents to wash up and make packed lunches for tomorrow when everyone had to get back to work, school and nursery.

The phone rang and Robbie escaped the washing up to answer it. 

“Sir… Yes Sir… in the morning? … I’ll be there early Sir… The fish were ok … He enjoyed it I think… Thanks Sir… Night.”

“Was that Morse? Do you have to go?”

Robbie stepped up behind Val at the sink, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head on her shoulder. “It was yeah, if I didn’t know him better I’d say he’d rung to check on Jimmy but he wants me in early in the morning.”

Val laughed, “Yeah sounds like he was checking. What time does he need you?”

“I’ll have to go before the kids are up; I’ll put it on the board and make sure they know.”

Turning in his arms Val put her wet soapy hands on his cheeks and pulled him in for a long, loving and comfortable kiss.


End file.
